Dovima (1927 - 1990)

The American model who had made up her dramatic name at an early age, was post-war's glamorous and sophisticated totem, the ideal embodiment of Parisian haute couture. The muse of Richard Avedon who depicted Dovima, in a legendary photography, alongside elephants, in 1955, resembled the mysterious and exotic Queen Nefertiti with her dark hair and trademark heavily made-up eyes. Nonetheless, in 1962 with Diana Vreeland's arrival at Vogue, 'the last of the great elegant aristocratic beauties' found herself replaced by a new wave of juvenile models such as Twiggy. Dovima who led a troubled personal life, preferred to end her career as she 'didn’t want to wait until the camera turned cruel' and she soon found herself struggling and taking on various odd jobs to survive. Ending her life in a tragic act that echoes better the extravagances of modern fashion than her era's, Dovima nonetheless left behind her powerful images in which she 'looked like she could freeze ice.'